Sizzle
by Snowshinobi
Summary: Tsunade orders a special mission: all ninjas must perform in Konoha's first karaoke competition. What will result of Neji and Tenten having to perform a duet? Get ready for one hopefully funny, confusion-filled, sizzling hot adventure!
1. Chapter 1

3/11/12~3/26/12

Sizzle

**Disclaimer**:Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

**Type of story**: Totally going for humor - hope I deliver! POV alternates between Neji and Tenten (It flip-flops quite a bit, I'm sorry! But I put in words like 'he' and 'she' to try and indicate whose POV it is.) Imagine this story takes place when Neji and Tenten are 16 or 17.

**A/N**: Heh, contrary to how the summary may sound, this isn't much of an _adventure_ story. Try '_shenanigan_', perhaps? It's more of a (hopefully) funny one-time-event tale - and my first chapter story at that! YAY! Anyhow, this is a songfic to the song 'Electropop' by Jupiter Rising. I was actually watching a vid by someone called 'mayuzero' and that's when the evil idea to make Neji and Tenten sing a duet 'popped' (get it - 'Electro**pop**'!) into my head. Hope you enjoy!

_Un__-believable._

While Tenten proceeded to swing her mace menacingly above her head as she yelped at a cowering Lee and Gai-sensai over the matter, Neji remained frozen, still trying to overcome his initial heart attack.

He knew the two painfully-bright-green, spandex-clad shinobi were exceptionally oblivious to Neji and Tenten's obvious desire to not become the laughing stocks of Konoha, but _this _crossed the line. Lee and Gai-sensai had finally pushed Neji to the farthest, most insane edge his mind had ever dared to dream up.

Neji. Hyuga. DOESN'T. _sing_. A less-than-pea-brained inchworm could understand that.

But alas, these were no inchworms. They were two overwhelmingly smiley ninja - _Clearly with a serious death wish, seeing as how often they test my capacity for humiliation, _Neji growled inwardly - and neither them nor their incredibly ridiculous antics could be oh so easily dispatched with a simple 'step-on-no-jutsu'.

What made things even worse was that as utterly pride-murdering as it was, Neji knew he was cornered over the matter of refusing. No one could look a mission in the face and spit out "ことわる", no matter how idiotic it was. And Lee and Gai-sensai knew it.

NO WAY did Tenten intend on letting this slide. This was the absolute dumbest, most mortifying scheme Lee and Gai-sensai had EVER pulled on her.

Although to be fair Tsunade-sama, the Hokage, had _ordered _that every ninja in the village take part in Konoha's first karaoke competition to ensure there'd be enough acts. That said, trust THEM to pre-sign-up anyways. Of course, they'd already chosen a song for the two of them to do - leaving Neji and Tenten forced to pair up, since 'strangely enough', apparently only the 'duets' column had space left for sign-ups.

It. was. A. SCHEME. She was certain of it.

Tenten had had an itching suspicion that the two youth-obsessed males had been trying to get her and Neji - 'together' - for quite some time. Perhaps, now that they were all (minus Gai-sensai) seventeen and in the "springtime of the springtime of youth!", Lee and the childlike jonin had decided it was about time to throw some romance into the mix.

She tried not to let her mind linger on that thought, since she'd known since her first day as a genin that she'd had a _tiiiiiiiiiiny _crush on the stoic Hyuga. Just a puny, completely meaningless smidge of affection that she'd hoped - for the sake of being able to work together, undistractedly, as a team - would soon vanish. But here she was at the big one-seven, and to her dismay found she still had a soft spot for him. As as if that weren't bad enough, Tenten could plainly see that Lee and Gai-sensai were as aware of that fact as Neji wasn't.

Tenten sighed to herself. At least it wasn't as if they were being spiteful or trying to mock her - they were simply trying to help.

But one thing was for sure - as long as SHE and NEJI were in control of song choice, there'd be absolutely NO romantic love songs involved, and this whole potentially awkward situation would be back under control.

However, Tenten wasn't aware of the fact that Gai-sensai had the right, seeing as he was their mentor, to pre-selecting songs for his students.

And he'd most certainly made the most of that opportunity . . . _  
(Day of the Competition: )

Neji squinted at the lyric sheet Tsunade-sama had handed him. _'Electropop' . . . _he thought warily. _The song's title isn't even a real word. _

He poked the button on Gai-sensai's tape recorder - a sample of how the song's tune was supposed to go - and cocked his head sharply when an odd techno sound started up. He frowned - it was actually a rather intriguing sound; so where was the catch? Gai-sensai had picked the song - there just had to be something wrong with it.

Neji listened to the intro, bobbing his head along with the catchy beat until he realized and instantly stopped, mortified. The tape was just getting to the words when Tenten rushed over and snatched it.

"My turn! Gosh, Neji, I need to know how the song goes too! Wouldn't want to mess up and injure your giant ego, now would we?" She winked and turned around the corner that lead further backstage.

Irritatedly, Neji noticed he actually kind of missed that odd, perky melody. "Hn"-ing to himself in an annoyed tone, his gaze again flicked to the lyric sheet. It was clearly marked - Tenten's lines were hi-lited in yellow while his were in blue. The song's lyrics; "Hey girl, what's your name? L-U-V, I see your game-" matched the cool, easy-going feel the music portrayed.

Wait a second - Neji's stare shot a few lines down to the second verse. Was that - no, surely the songwriters hadn't put in a - . . ! Neji's eyes widened just a fraction. Tenten's lines had one too. Of all profane, obscene things . . !

The pissed jonin leaped up and hurriedly strode around the corner Tenten had strolled past. There was NO way they were singing this!

**A/N: **A cliffhanger! Haha, sorry, I realize it's probably not a great one – but please bear with me, this is my first time doing chapters! What do you think Neji found in the song? How will Tenten react to Neji's discovery? You'll just have to wait and find out . . .

Alright, here's the thing; I've already got about two more chapters of this story done. But I would really appreciate a little feedback on this first chapter before I post the second one, just to see what you readers think of it so far. Opinions, suggestions and predictions are all very much welcome, and would also greatly help me in adjusting any flaws my writing has. So please, drop a review and make a nervous first-time-writing-a-chapter-story author ecstatic! Tell you what; When this story gets to, say, ten reviews, I'll put up chapter two – do we have a deal? :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story! Please do tell me what you think of it, and hopefully chapter two will be up soon ;)!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and the song 'Electropop' is by Jupiter Rising

**A/N**: Hello everyone! Ok, I admit it, I have a weak resolve . . . I'm posting chapter two now, even though chapter 1 of 'Sizzle' didn't get the full 10 reviews I'd set as the goal - but hey, 6 reviews is still pretty close! I want to thank you guys for the great feedback you gave me, the predictions were fun to read ;)! I believe someone wanted a jealous Neji . . .? Well, look out for a little of that in I think chapter 3, heehee . . . XD! So thanks again for the support, and now I shall present you with the next installment of 'Sizzle'! To recap, last time we left off at; _"Wait a second - Neji's stare shot a few lines down to the second verse. Was that - no, surely the songwriters hadn't put in a - . . ! Neji's eyes widened just a fraction. Tenten's lines had one too. Of all profane, obscene things . . !  
The pissed jonin leaped up and hurriedly strode around the corner Tenten had strolled past. There was NO way they were singing this!" _What was it that Neji found to be so appalling? At last, we find out! ;D! Enjoy chapter 2!

Tenten was fingering the tape, humming along to the surprisingly hip beat, when a furious Neji suddenly skidded to an elegant halt behind her. She whirled around and gave him a funny look. He merely glared at his poor copy of the lyrics as if he was trying to burn a hole through it.

"Tenten. Do you realize what this song has in it?" He growled, eyes blazing.

She blinked. To be honest, she'd just been grooving along to the tape until Neji'd caught up with her - she hadn't looked at the lyrics once. Now she did, frantically searching for anything that might possibly be seen as offensive, as Neji's disgusted tone indicated.

"Um . . . it's got . . . _words_?" Tenten tried. She got a 'no duh' look from Neji as the jonin huffed a short sigh and roughly shoved his lyric sheet in her face.

"Look at the circled word!" He hissed.

Tenten looked.

And burst out laughing. Arms wound around her sides, she guffawed heartily for a few seconds before Neji's impatient and disgruntled "Hn?" caused her to try and regain her composure.

"Neji-" She choked out between giggles "-It's just a swear!"

"'Just' a swear? Tenten! It's profane language! I'm NOT saying this!"

Now it was Tenten's turn to sigh, albeit laughingly. "Then I will; D*MN." Tenten paused for a second as Neji stared at her, amazed. "There. I said it. And did some respectable noble run up to me and scream at me for using 'profane' language? No! It's a song, Neji - loosen up! Think of it as when you sing this, you're not really you. You're playing the character in the song. Ok?"

He just glared. Then he snatched back the paper with a scowl, crumpling it in his fist, and strode hotly away, grumbling something about "Stupid songs that force you to speak dirty." Tenten grinned, and continued down the hallway - until she remembered that the stage was the _other _way. Quickly, she spun 'round on her heel and sped after Neji, just as Tsunade's voice rang out over the intercom: "Competitors, please report to the stage - the show will begin in five minutes!"

Gulp.

Neji shook his head, trying to clear it, but it remained muddled. He didn't understand this. He was a jonin - an elite ninja - who risked his _life _daily to complete perilous missions. He'd endured boatloads of stress, the weight of the lives of his teammates on his shoulders, and had handled it all in a cool, level-headed, collected manner. He simply could not feel fear.

Or so he thought.

For now, Neji Hyuga made a mind-blowing discovery - he was scared of, of all things; _singing_.

_Or_, an evil little voice - that a horrified Neji reluctantly recognized as 'hormones' - whispered, _Maybe it's just singing with _Tenten_ that's making you nervous. _

That made Neji's gut start to churn a bit. Why would it matter who he exposed his not-cut-out-for-singing voice alongside? In fact, if he was going to embarrass himself anyways, shouldn't it be a relief that it was with Tenten - his best friend whom he already felt pretty comfortable with in regard to his shortcomings (translation: she'd already seen him fall flat on his face - as rarely as it happened - seeing as they were training partners - so what should one more humiliating incident matter)?

Grudgingly, Neji realized that he had two choices; either decide he was in fact nervous of attempting something as ridiculous as singing, or that something about the thought of looking bad in front of Tenten was suddenly starting to bother him. Neither option was preferable.

He never got to pick one though - for a moment later Tenten suddenly grabbed his wrist and squeezed it, squealing "We're NEXT!"; and as a result quite effectively sending his train of thought over a cliff edge.

She then seemed to notice her out-of-the-blue and rather impressionable gesture. She swiftly released his arm, hissing "Sorry . . . " and swung her head in away from Neji's curious eyes. He too darted his gaze to the opposite end of the room, bringing his free hand to rub at the wrist Tenten'd grasped. Why couldn't he erase the very odd, almost burning sensation that flickered over where her hand had touched his? Had that been the faintest hint of a _blush_ he'd spied on her face as she'd flinched away? And why did he all of a sudden have to suppress the urge to blush too?

Yet again, the perplexed Hyuga had no time to recollect over what had just happened; "Neji! Tenten!" Tsunade smiled smugly at then and stuck out her arms to them, a microphone in each. "You're UP!"

_ALREADY?_

Tenten's mind raced. She still had to figure out what crazy impulse had compelled her to do something as outrageously gutsy as _grab Neji's hand_! It was as if some part of her brain - contrary to the others who'd all agreed that NOT letting Neji know how much she really did like him even now was a very good idea - had acted on its own and made her spill the biggest hint she'd ever dished out. Long ago, Tenten had given up on subtlety; if Neji the genius ninja couldn't put two and two together, then he must not have ever thought she was potential-girlfriend material. Case closed, right there. She tried to convince herself to give up on her never-gonna-happen fantasy involving Neji seeing her as 'more than just a friend'. But as much as she wished she could just let it go, become water under the bridge, she knew it wasn't as easy as that. Every time she saw, trained with, and talked to him - all of which occurred every _single_ day - she was reminded of why she had a crush on him in the first place. This vicious cycle would just keep repeating itself, until she decided to just take what she could get. If being a friend, and only that, was how she could be close to him; she'd accept and be grateful for that.

That said, In spite of her desire to be near him, singing a duet with Neji in front of basically the whole village was NOT something Tenten was up for. Talk about _embarrassing_.

_Well, it's too late to back out now_, Tenten thought. So she reached for the mike, scanned her lyric sheet one last time and spun around to eye Neji - who oddly enough looked uncharacteristically frazzled.

"Let's go kick some butt!" She offered as a pep talk, and she relaxed upon seeing the old self-reassurance resurface in his eyes. He seemed to take a deep breath, and then snatching the mike, he did the last thing Tenten would ever expect; _he_ seized _her_ wrist and pulled her towards the stage. "Let's get this over with - fast" he corrected.  
_

A/N: Ok, so since the 'I-won't-post-until-I-get-10-reviews' idea didn't work that well last time, I'm scratching it. That said, I'd still LOVE to hear any comments you have on the story so far, predictions, anything at all! I'll probably let this chapter sit for a day or two, just to see how it does as far as how many hits it gets, and then I'll put up chapter 3. After that, it's the last chapter – chapter 4! So please do tell me what you think of this story, how you like the direction I'm taking it, what you think I could add or not put in for the future chapters. Thank you, and please stay tuned for chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and the song 'Electropop' is by Jupiter Rising

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for tuning into chapter 3 – and here's where the fun really begins; it's SINGING TIME! XD! After stalling for 2 whole chapters, I will finally make Neji and Tenten stretch their vocal cords! To refresh your memories on the story line so far, we last left our heros at; '_Well, it's too late to back out now'_, _Tenten thought. So she reached for the mike, scanned her lyric sheet one last time and spun around to eye Neji - who oddly enough looked uncharacteristically frazzled. "Let's go kick some butt!" She offered as a pep talk, and she relaxed upon seeing the old self-reassurance resurface in his eyes. He seemed to take a deep breath, then snatching the mike, did the last thing Tenten would ever expect; __he__ seized __her__ wrist and pulled her towards the stage. "Let's get this over with - __fast__" he corrected._

Unfortunately for Neji, me being the evil author I am, things are not going to go so smoothly for him, right Tenten? (Tenten; RIGHT! *high fives Snowshinobi* !) Without further ado, here is the next installment of 'Sizzle'! Happy reading!

(Onstage . . . )

Neji stared straight ahead, rigid. Tensely, he waited for that peculiar electronic sound to start up. He began reciting his lines under his breath, until was instantly stopped by a soft prod to his ribs. He peered over at the black-gloved hand that had poked him, and followed its arm up until he finally met Tenten's eyes.

She tried to shoot him a reassuring grin, but Neji could tell she too was feeling daunted. "Remember; loosen up, it's just a song, and we're just playing characters - ok?" Tenten whispered. Neji blinked at her._ I know, . . . _but those pesky butterflies flitting about in his stomach surged up in a sudden frenzy as the music finally cued in.

Tenten started humming, as her lines directed, and Neji started bracing himself for what was to come.

For in approximately 3 seconds, he'd be singing the first line.

"Hey girl, what's your name?

L-u-v, I see your game

It's okay, I do it too

Make me wanna play with you"

Neji swallowed uncomfortably as he finished croaking out the verse and stepped back for Tenten to take center stage. She caught his eye as she strode easily forward, and Neji swore he saw her wink. _"We're just playing characters - ok?"_, Tenten's comment from earlier echoed in his mind. Still, fake characters or no, singing such - '_suggestive_' - stuff to your best friend, who just happened to be of the other gender? How could that not be awkward? Neji scoffed to himself. It was now Tenten's turn - let's see how well _she'd_ pull it off!

"_Here boy, sign the line_

_Fools like you don't waste my time_

_I ain't game to play with you_

_Are you gonna follow through?"_

Neji was in absolute shock. Tenten had seriously gone out there and struck a girly, hand-on-one -hip pose right there in front of the entire audience. And on that last line, she'd cocked her head at him and actually "Hn?"-ed. "Hn"-ed! At _him_! Neji felt his ego bruising and felt a rush of frustration. He'd show her! Smacking the laziest smirk he could muster onto his face, he smoothly uttered his next line:

"Step inside, we'll take a ride

Bonnie, Clyde, you and I

We can do this, do or die

Why don't we just take a drive?"

Top _that_, Tenten!

"_Sounds gangster, I'm game sir_

_We'll play the D*MN prankster_

_Using up this bar we play_

_Then we make our getaway"_

She screeched that profane word at the top of her lungs and eyed him cheekily, mockingly reminding him of his first reaction to having to swear. Oh, that was IT. Fueled by the feeling of being shown up and hating it, Neji belted out his part of the chorus with a new energy.

"Electropop hot

It's addiction when I can't stop"

Tenten played her sassy character flawlessly, even shooting Neji a flirtatious grin.

"_I may be your sweet spot_

_Take me to your candy shop"_

Neji ground his teeth.

"Electropop hot

Fr-riction when it's getting hot"

It sure as heck is 'getting hot' Neji thought miffedly as he felt anger begin to boil inside his chest.

"_Feeling like it's getting hot?_

_Come on baby, what you got?"_

Tenten lifted her chin just a fraction as she trilled out her challenge. She watched Neji's face go blank with shock, and then harden as her line struck his pride. She smirked at him. Riling him up like this was just too fun!

They repeated the chorus as the lyric sheet had directed, but by the end of 'round two' Neji still felt like he was losing to Tenten by a mile. She was positively brilliant at this character-playing thing! She had the upper hand, and Neji knew it. Still, he fought to act even more nonchalant about the whole thing then she did - if she could handle playing a girl who was in a relationship with his character, then he could darn well manage the reverse!

"D*mn girl we're moving fast

It's a movie, who's the cast?

I can be your leading role

Won't you let me take control?"

Tenten grinned proudly as Neji spat out his last word and glared pointedly at her. He hadn't even blinked at the swear. Her plan was working - getting Neji into the song by making it seem like she was trying to be better at playing her character than he was was totally doing the trick. _Although he really did look pretty pissed . . . _Tenten thought. _Well, what the hell - if this method for getting him to participate is functioning fine, why mess it up?_ Besides, being able to openly wound his ego a bit was so worth getting the crap beaten out of her at training tomorrow . . .

"_Like Juliet I'm femme fatale_

_Take your pick, I'll play them all_

_Each one to satisfy depending on the type of guy"_

That line rubbed Neji the wrong way for more reasons than its perfect delivery on Tenten's part. The idea of Tenten 'playing' or hanging out with any other guys but himself and Lee made Neji feel instantly protective of her. _She's __my__ training partner - go 'play' with someone else!_ Neji wanted to growl at those other guys - until he remembered it was just a song. It disturbed him how relieved he felt that this scenario would never occur in his real life. But at the moment, he reminded himself, he was no longer Neji Hyuga. He was some guy bantering back and forth with his girlfriend. So the jonin stepped up to the plate and gave it his all.

"I'm just a nervous type

Put me in the spotlight

I can talk this all night long

Only if we take it home"

Tenten giggled to herself. Neji still hadn't realized he was being completely manipulated. _Well, it's his own fault for having that all that darned pride . . !_, Tenten thought.

"_Ohhh, that is not what I'm about_

_Men without backing out_

_That is how I strategize_

_So hold your breath for this surprise"_

Neji took great offence at those last few words. Tenten of all people would know how much he despised being kept waiting, and now she was using the convenient song lyrics to string him out!

Again came the chorus, and by now Neji felt fairly confident singing these borderline-suggestive recurring lines to Tenten. _It's just an act_, he thought, _go with it - the song is nearly over anyways_.

That was when something queer happened; the half-lidded eyes and smirky smile on Tenten's face flashed back to the soft brown gaze and gentle grin she normally sported. Neji was floored - Tenten had just dropped her character! But her part was next, and she made no indications that she was returning to her role anytime soon. Whatever she was about to sing, she must really mean in real life as well . . . Neji surmised. Fascinated, he studied her along with the audience who had also picked up on Tenten's change of facial expression.

"_Don't want to spend this night alone_

_'Cause you're just what I need_

_I'll lock your digits on my phone_

_For as much as I tease_

_I know this affection may be temporary_

_for night-like behavior, it is necessary_

_But for tonight, yes we're doing it right_

_And you got my number if you like what you like"_

Tenten suddenly realized Neji, along with the entire crowd, was staring at her intently. Trying not to blush, she fidgeted nervously as she waited for the part where she needed to hum started.

"_oohhhh-ohhhh- oh oh oh oh oh_

_ooohhh-ohhhh oh_

_mmhmmmmm"_

So Tenten had truly meant all that? Neji's mind replayed those few seconds; the small smile and quick look she'd sent his way after she murmured "'Cause you're just what I need", the tiny wistful sigh of regret that followed "I know this affection may be temporary", the lonely plaintive undertone in her sorrowful voice. It hit him hard, painfully, someplace a bit below his left shoulder: Tenten was in . . . love?

He mentally shook himself. What did he care if she was in- er, had feelings for -someone? That's right. He didn't. But that eerie numbing feeling kept gnawing away at him even as he attempted to coolly sing his part of the chorus.

"Electropop hot

It's addiction when I can't stop"

As quickly as she'd vanished, the sassy Tenten reappeared.

"_I may be your sweet spot_

_Take me to your candy shop"_

Tenten was a little concerned. Neji looked slightly shaken as he stumbled over the familiar words he'd just sung minutes ago. What'd happened?

"_Electropop hot_

_Fr-riction when it's getting hot"_

Ha, ironically enough now all he felt was cold, gut-wrenching dread. That much told Neji this was clearly not a matter he could just leave alone. His tomboy-ish teammate - in _love_? His next thought caused Neji to stiffen without thinking; _With __whom__? _It was then that the pool of dread in his stomach morphed into a whole new feeling.

"_Feeling like it's getting hot?_

_Come on baby, what you got?"_

_It feels like my ribcage is on fire!_ Neji thought, on the verge of panicking, 'till; _You're jealous._ The sudden realization made him freeze. _WHAT? _He was so wrapped up in thought that he nearly missed his cue to start humming:

"_Electro-e-ectro-p-pop_

_Frict-ict-ict-iction is hot"_

Tenten's initial worry had grown considerably at this point - the distracted look in Neji's eyes was what really alarmed her. Neji did not get distracted. Something was wrong here.

"_I may be your sweet spot_

_Take me to your candy shop"_

_Just focus on your lines . . . _Neji told himself, wincing inwardly at how off-task he was at the moment.

Electro-e-e-ectropop

Fri-i-i-i-iction's hot

_Good grief, Neji - are you ok? _This was the first time Tenten had ever seen Neji's focus deteriorate so easily. Between lines, she glanced at him, concern written in her eyes.

Feeling like it's getting hot

Come on baby, what you got?

Neji was still trying to process this freakish new sensation that held him in its grip. He didn't look at her.

_(Electropop hot_

_It's addiction when I can't stop)_

_Ohhh_

_Oh-oh-oh_

_Oh-oh-ohhh_

_(Electropop hot_

_It's addiction when I can't stop)_

_(Electropop hot_

_It's addiction when I can't stop)_

Tenten faked a sly grin at Neji in an effort to remind him, _We're playing characters! _His teeth clenched as if he were in pain, and sent a thin clearly strained smile back at her. She noted that his eyes - Tenten had learned over the years that looking at them was the only way to remotely guess as to how Neji really felt about something - were glittering in a way she'd never seen before. _Almost . . . broken, somehow . . . in spirit . . . ? _she thought, puzzled.

y-yeah y-eah

Neji barely noticed how he ended the song with a tiny unintentional sigh. Defeatedness saturated his being now, in contrast to the bubbling rage it had been before. _She likes . . . someone . . . __that__way__ . . . _He thought dismally, glancing at Tenten with a longing he never knew had existed within him until the moment he figured out she had feelings for . . . someone else. How convenient - he only found out he might like Tenten as something more than a mere training partner in the same second she basically confessed her affection towards another. _"You never know a good thing 'till it's gone . . . "_, Neji's brain chided him. _It's your own fault for not realizing sooner._ He _had_ had an abundance of chances - training, missions, heck, their houses were both within walking distance of eachother! Every second of the day had practically been an opportunity to sit himself down and have a good thinking session on his and Tenten's relationship. But no - he'd put all his time into working to achieve his goal - to become strong enough to never lose to anyone ever again.

And now, just when he'd achieved jonin status and finally thought he'd been able to fulfill that promise to his dad, all that work had been deemed useless in approximately four minutes due to an affair of the _heart_, along with a sassy song and an old friend. Who Neji now realized he wanted to be more than just a friend to.

The crowd's cheers and whoops were only a negligible buzz humming in the background of Neji's brain, drowned out by two little words that hit harder than even that punch Naruto'd connected with Neji's jaw in that fateful Chuunin Exams match back in their genin years. All Neji could hear were those two short hateful words echoing painfully in his mind. _Too late . . ._

**A/N**: So how do you guys like my version of Neji? I say 'my' version, because I realize how uncharacteristically emotionally I write him, XD! I'm a bit unsure about the format of this chapter; from what I've seen, it's ok to post song lyrics as long as you break up the stanzas - right? Any comments and questions on this chapter and predictions for chapter four would be much appreciated, so please do review if you would be so kind! As for the last chapter of this tale, chapter 4, I'm actually not entirely sure where to go with it. I'm thinking some sort of heart-to-heart chat between Neji and Tenten, but the whole concept is still rather sketchy – I'm open to suggestions for how you readers think the story ought to be wrapped up, if you happen to think of any! Thank you so much to all of you who've stuck by this story and for every review – it means so much to me. Thanks again, and I hope we'll meet again at chapter 4 for the last leg of 'Sizzle'! ;D!


	4. Chapter 4

6/25/12

**Disclaimer**: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and the song 'Electropop' is by Jupiter Rising

**A/N**; Here it is – the home stretch. 'Sizzle' is almost at an end, at last XD! I'm really sorry this last chapter is so late, I was quite inspiration-dead after plowing through three chapters (only three – I know, fail XP) and it took getting out of school and enjoying the freedom of summer to get me to work on it. All the reviews you readers have given this story were so valuable to me, thank you so much for them!

To recap: Chapter three left off at; _"__The crowd's cheers and whoops were only a negligible buzz humming in the background of Neji's brain, drowned out by two little words that hit harder than even that punch Naruto'd connected with Neji's jaw in that fateful Chuunin Exams match back in their genin years. All Neji could hear were those two short hateful words echoing painfully in his mind. __Too late . . "_

I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait ;D!

Tenten flashed Neji yet another triumphant grin before falling back and landing on the carpet of grass on the hill. The fronds trembled slightly at the sudden impact, sending the golden light of the sunset bouncing off the Konoha symbol on Tenten's forehead protector. Not to mention her warm brown eyes that glittered with mirth as they peered smugly into Neji's awestruck milky white ones. Embarrassedly, he swiftly darted his gaze to rest on the similarly sparkling small trophy nestled in the tufts of fern between them.

"I still can't believe we _won_!" Tenten remarked happily. She sent a conniving smile Neji's way. "And I also can't believe you didn't see how I was totally tricking you into getting into playing your character! Darn, turning things into a competition motivates you, huh? I'll have to remember that!" Neji's lips twisted in a dissatisfied grimace as he winced slightly at the word 'character'.

Tenten immediately picked up on his bitter mood. "Neji? Something wrong?" Neji closed his eyes in an effort to block out the note of concern in her voice. It'd been hard enough to sit the remaining competitor's entries at the karaoke competition, at the mercy of his cruel prodigy mind that spent the entire time analyzing Tenten's reactions to every male in the room in the hopes of discovering who the lucky guy she liked was - not like he'd had any luck with that. He had no idea how girls' brains worked and showed affection, much less a quirky tomboy one like Tenten's. Now, any affection she showed _him_ only sent his heart rate skyrocketing - even though he knew by the way she'd stare out at the orangy-pink clouds, a gentle expression in her eyes, she was no doubt thinking of her 'special person', and thought of him as nothing more than a good pal. Every time she sent a smile his way or voiced concern for him, it was like a knife to the heart - _She only cares because I'm her __friend__._

Neji let out a short sigh. "No, I'm perfectly alright." he lied. Tenten only narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Suddenly she sat up and slammed her palm into his chest, pinning him down against the hill, and hovered over his face. Her frustration-filled eyes glared into his baffled ones. "You. _Liar_!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

Neji blinked once, completely stunned. Tenten's eyes glinted dangerously as she continued. "Somewhere between the start of the duet we sang and the end of it, something happened. You got all shaky and distracted and completely unlike you. You're still acting funny, even right now! I mean, look at you - I usually can NEVER pin you down, but NOW I even caught you _off-guard_! The point is, I have no idea _why_you're suddenly behaving oddly, and you're going to tell me, because quite frankly I'm sick and tired of worrying myself half to death over it. Now spill!"

Averting his gaze, Neji mumbled "Give me some room to breathe, then." Immediately, Tenten's weight vanished and she re-appeared a foot or so away, studying Neji intently. He forced himself to look at her, stare at the only thing he'd ever wanted so much that it hurt. And promptly, his brain went into panic mode. How was he supposed to tell Tenten he'd . . . fallen for her? Would he be strong enough to fake a smirk when she'd laugh her head off, thinking he had to be joking? Or, would she just be plain creeped out? Not want to even be _friends_anymore? Neji's blood turned to ice at the mere thought.

Then his memory decided to help his fried brain out, and reminded Neji that Tenten 'liked' someone too. Neji's eyes narrowed unconsciously as he felt a sharp pain at the recollection, and Tenten tipped her head in confusion.

"Hey Neji, you really don't have to think too hard. Just say why. It's one sentence. Tops. That too difficult for you in your weird state?" Tenten's attempt to poke fun at him had no effect on his ego - but her words struck a chord in Neji's mind. _". . . Don't have to think too hard . . . just say . . . " _So he did.

. . . sort of.

"Can I ask for . . . some . . . advice . . . in . . . a 'certain matter' . . . ?" Neji blurted out.

Tenten frowned a bit, blinking several times at him. "Sure, what's the matter?"

_Perfect . . . I'll figure out how _she_ deals with her feelings . . . then _I'll_ know how to handle mine . . . _  
Neji bitterly grinned to himself. Although, there was still the issue of verbalizing how he felt about HER to her face - even though she wouldn't know he was talking about her.

Finally, after a painfully awkward silence, Neji brought himself to utter " . . . What does it mean when . . . you get . . . " here his eyes narrowed and lips twisted in annoyance at the adjective he was about to use " . . . 'fluttery', if you will, . . . around someone?"

Tenten's eyes flew wide open. ". . . Um . . . could you maybe . . . elaborate on that a bit . . . ?" she managed. _'Fluttery' . . . ?_ _That must mean . . ._

Neji's eyes narrowed as he studied her round ones. _She's stalling . . . why is that . . ._he mused. As incredibly vulnerable as it made him feel to express his . . . symptoms . . . from being around her to her very face, he reluctantly concluded that he could get more details from her the more he talked. So, he created a list.

". . . When your . . . ribcage, I suppose, feels warm and tingly whenever they look at you. When you feel like your world is crumbling down around you when they're hurt, or in danger, or perilously close to either. How that unstable feeling morphs swiftly into a rush of sturdy relief once you see they are fine, and you remember of course they would be, they can take care of themselves - yet, you worry every time anyways. They steal your focus, when you look at them it's as if you two are the only ones in the world. And when they look away first, they might as well have plunged a kunai through your chest . . . "

It took all of Neji's composure to not smack his hand over his mouth to stop the words from flowing out. He most certainly had NOT intended to allow all THAT to escape the confines of his mind.

Eyes as wide as saucers, Tenten just stood there staring at Neji. _Is this . . . some kind of sick joke? . . . That's exactly how . . . I feel . . . around . . . him . . . _"I . . . I think you're . . . in . . . love, . . . Neji . . . "

The jonin sent her one long look before muttering "Hn . . . I thought as much . . . "

Tenten blinked. _'Thought as much'? How long has this . . . been . . . going on . . . ?_

_Alright . . . now go in for the kill . . . _Neji thought silently, trying to shake off the awkwardness that hung thick in the air. "And . . . may I ask what you're supposed to do about it . . . ? If that person . . . has no idea . . . " His voice gave out. She couldn't possibly need more than this to figure out he liked her.

Neji's query was met by a bitter laugh from Tenten. She flopped down the ground once again, tucking her arms under her head. "Well, there's not a lot you can do then, is there? I'm sure as heck not _confessing_. All you can really do is . . . accept it . . . " Tenten grinned wryly to herself_. I'm talking to the guy I'm in love with about _him_. And he has no idea . . . _

_'Accept it' . . . _Well that was a bit of a blow to the heart. Not like she actually realized she was basically telling him off, though . . . Neji couldn't help slumping a little in the grass.

A loud sigh erupted from Tenten. "Y'know what - maybe, just maybe, I'll get up the guts to tell him . . . eventually . . . " She smiled sadly at Neji. "Shall we make a deal? I'll promise to tell my person, if you'll tell yours. Someday . . . " Tenten tacked on that last word as an afterthought.

This was all wrong. Was he really making a pact with the very girl he liked to tell her sometime later on? When she thought he meant . . . an entirely different person . . . Neji resisted the urge to facepalm. Instead, he smirked reluctantly. "Someday . . . "

Tenten held out her pinky. "Now, we promise." She blinked expectantly at him. Neji raised an eyebrow at the childish gesture, but complied. Resting her head on her hands, Tenten gazed up at the soft orange clouds drifting lazily overhead. Neji sat with his eyes closed, trying to commit to memory the feeling of her warm fingers curled around his.

The promise lingered in the air, swirled about in the breeze, and wove its way into their hearts.

_. . . Someday . . . _

**A/N**; . . . And there's the end. Thank you so much for taking this journey with me! I hope this story was worth following, and I hope you all like the rather bittersweet ending ^_^ Feedback would be most appreciated!


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